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New NCAA Director General to resume duty next week

By on October 26, 2014

The newly appointed Director General (DG) of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Muhktar Usman, will resume work next week after collecting his letter of appointment last Tuesday.

The acting DG of the agency, Benedict Adeyileka, has also been directed by the Ministry of Aviation to prepare a hand over note for his successor.

Usman was appointed in March this year after the former DG, Captain Fola Akinkiotu was removed and two weeks ago he was confirmed by the Senate.

Before his new appointment, Usman was the Commissioner of the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB). He is expected to bring the needed change which NCAA needs after a series of appointments following the removal of the former DG, Dr Harold Demuren, who in recent times was the longest serving head of the agency.

Reacting to Usman’s appointment, industry consultant and Chief Executive Officer of BelujaneKonsult, Chris Aligbe said the new DG l should look at the existing structure in the agency, noting that a lot might have been done with the structure that “makes it too groggy for efficiency.”

Aligbe said the size of the staff is burdensome and that is what is “eating up” the agency’s revenue and also affecting output as there are too many people doing the same thing.

He said NCAA needs to be repositioned because those who have managed the agency in recent times have been on transit and such temporary appointment affect the disposition of the person in charge, his or her conduct and total attitude to work.

“And because of this laxity has set in so the new Director General needs to put people on their toes so that there would be improved output”,

Aligbe also said Usman should be at home with issues of safety and air worthiness, which are the primary responsibility of the regulatory body, adding that economic regulation has been neglected by past Director Generals of the agency and that explains why Nigerian airlines have short life span.

“What has happened to the banks in the past is what is happening to Nigerian airlines so economic regulation will help the airlines stand on their feet. He can use carrot and stick method in order to make them improve in their services,” Aligbe said.

Also another industry insider said  NCAA in the past had not improved in its customer protection, adding that airlines still abuse passengers by not abiding by the regulations and urged the new DG to step up activities in the area of protecting the passengers.

“Usman should also step up training in all the areas in the agency. He should look at the past reports on NCAA, including public hearing in order to be guided well in the action he will take to reposition the Authority. Considering the long time he waited before he took over, he should hit the ground running,” the source said.

 

[This Day]